5 South London bus routes will stay disrupted even after station upgrade due to be completed

Five London bus routes are set to remain disrupted after the redevelopment of a station in South London is due to be finished. Cromwell Road bus station has been shut since August 28, 2023, and Transport for London (TfL) has said works are set to be finished this summer.

Officials now say that routes 281, 371, K5, N65 and 671 towards Tolworth / North Sheen / Ham / Chessington will be disrupted until Thursday, October 31, due to long-term works at the interchange. Buses are not serving the usual stop 'Cromwell Road Bus Station' - A1 - on Cromwell Road.

Customers have been urged to use the nearby stop - PW. Buses will pick up passengers from here instead.

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TfL said previously: "Cromwell Road Bus Station closure from Monday, August 28, until Summer 2024: Routes 71, 406, 418 and 465 will terminate at stop E3 in Eden Street, and start journeys from Kingston at new stop PW in Cromwell Road, east of the station. Route 281, towards Tolworth, route 671, towards Chessington South and Night Bus route N65 towards Chessington will also serve this stop."

Officials now say: "Working in partnership with the project contractor VolkerFitzpatrick and the Royal Borough of Kingston, this redevelopment is a first of its kind for the station since it opened in the 1990s. The state-of-the-art build will combine contemporary style with the very latest technology, allowing us to redesign and upgrade station facilities.

"These will be more energy efficient, with improved safety and accessibility, as the number of customers journeying through the station continues to increase. Once complete, customers can expect a new energy-efficient bus station that offers the latest in live travel information, services and features."

Route 'unsatisfactory'

It comes after TfL said 'unsatisfactory' bus services should improve after a new schedule was introduced. The authority received a complaint about the 281. Its services travel between Hounslow Bus Station and Tolworth Station.

A resident told TfL: "The performance of the 281 is still unsatisfactory between Surbiton and Tolworth despite the long alluded to works at Tolworth Roundabout long since ending. Can you please provide updated data for the same request as below up to the present day from the day the Tolworth Roundabout works ended please."

A freedom of information case officer replied on July 9: "The 281 bus route has seen a reduced level of service, which has been put in place to protect the reliability of the route in both directions while ensuring compliance with statutory drivers’ hours. The 281 bus route has recently been extended, effective from 6 July 2024, to better serve Tolworth Station.

"Our bus colleagues have reviewed the reliability of the bus route with stakeholders and have implemented a reliability schedule alongside the extension to Tolworth Station. This should provide better end-to-end reliability for customers along the entire route.

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